


Let Me Love You

by chloebeale



Category: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-11
Updated: 2013-01-11
Packaged: 2017-11-25 03:42:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/634754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chloebeale/pseuds/chloebeale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically the entire film written from Chloe’s perspective. Mostly canon, with a few tweaks here & there and an extended ending.  Keep in mind I wrote this when the movie was still in theaters, so some of the details are incorrect in timing and other aspects. Uploading just to archive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me Love You

Senior year of college is supposed to be the best, right? At least that’s what Chloe reminds herself whilst thinking about how strange it feels coming back to campus after an excruciatingly long summer break. She spent most of the summer lying in the sun, as well as bulking up her iTunes library, something that she can be a little anal about sometimes. But now here she is, back at Barden like nothing’s changed. Sure, her schedule is different and she has a new dorm room, but she’s still rooming with her best friend and focusing on winning the a capella competition.

When Chloe moves her stuff into the dorm room, she sighs as she tries to figure out how she’s going to tell Aubrey the news. This is her last year to win the competition, and over the summer she found out that she had vocal nodes. How will she react? She knows she’ll freak out, get stressed and do that weird breathing thing she does when she’s obsessing about something, and Chloe can’t bear to start off her last year on the wrong foot. She promises herself that she’ll tell her, just not right now. And so she begins shoving her textbooks onto the vacant space at the top of her desk, wondering when Aubrey’s going to arrive.

She don’t have to wonder long, though, because soon Aubrey’s stalking into the room with all her worldly possessions, looking as frazzled as always. Chloe wonders if she’s ever seen Aubrey really let her hair down and relax since freshman year. Maybe that’s why they get along so well. They’re both passionate about singing, but she’s so frigid and hyper-focused, while Chloe’s warm and much calmer. They balance each other out.

After she’s finished stacking her textbooks, she makes her way over to her friend. She’s on a long spiel about her father and Chloe nods, trying to be comforting because she knows Aubrey has serious emotional issues regarding her dad. Chloe and her parents are on pretty good terms and so it’s not quite something she understands, but she’s her best friend and she just wants her to take a breath and maybe have a semblance of a smile on her face.

“Hey, Bree. It’s great to see you,” Chloe begins as she holds out her arms for her.

She offers a tight lipped mouth twitch that almost registers as a smile and steps forward. Chloe’s arms close around her and she hugs her too tightly, like she always does. But she doesn’t complain. Instead she leans into her and sighs, echoing Chloe’s sentiments.

“How was your summer?” Chloe asks as she finally pulls away, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her own ear.

“Forgettable. That’s not important though, we really need to focus this year, Chloe.”

_Oh great, she’s starting already. She’s been on campus for, what, five minutes and she’s already worrying about the Bellas?_

“After what happened last year, it’s imperative we make it back to Lincoln Center. There’s tons of freshman just milling around everywhere, undiscovered talent. We might find the next Lea Michele. That’s why we need to work on our sales pitch. Oh and I made some flyers, we can pass them out at the student activities fair this afternoon.”

She pulls a flyer out of her bag and thrusts it forward at Chloe. Chloe takes it slowly and her eyes scan the words on the page. Nothing too exciting but she gives her an encouraging smile anyway. It’s not her place to make suggestions.

“Yeah, of course…maybe we could at least put some of our stuff away and grab something to eat before we get started with all that? If that’s okay, I mean.”

Chloe doesn’t know why she’s so afraid of her. It’s not like she’s as mean as the bitches that ran the Bellas last year. Aubrey’s her best friend, she has been since the two of them met freshman year at auditions. But something about Aubrey just brings out the meek side of her. She finds herself agreeing with everything she says and apologizing all the time, which is weird, but whatever. It doesn’t really matter.

Aubrey shrugs. “Well obviously. So I had a few vocal lessons this summer. I think I was pretty productive over break.” She tells Chloe as she begins to unpack some of her clothes.

The first thing she pulls out is her Bellas outfit and Chloe cringes as it comes into view. She actually hates the design, it looks like a tacky flight attendant outfit, but she never had any say in it when it was designed a few years ago.

“What about you? Did you keep up on your singing? Make any big improvements in your voice?”

Chloe chuckles awkwardly because she didn’t have voice lessons this summer or spend the entire time working on her notes. She might have done a few karaoke songs here and there, but that was about it. Finding out about her nodes really put a damper on her summer spirit. Upon hearing Chloe, Aubrey makes a disapproving clicking sound with her tongue.

“Sorry.” Chloe murmurs, crossing her arms and looking away from her penetrating gaze.

“Whatever.” She responds, rolling her eyes as she shoves her clothes into the dresser, slamming the doors. “Not everyone has the dedication I do. I get it.”

Chloe wants to laugh at her ludicrous statement, because it IS ludicrous, she’s giving herself way too much credit and Chloe not enough, but she doesn’t dare make a sound. Instead she focuses on putting her own things away and hope she doesn’t yell at her for being a slacker.

As both of them finish their preliminary round of unpacking, Chloe feels her stomach growl and she suggest the cafe for lunch. The lines are generally much shorter there and that way they’ll have time to talk about the activities fair before it actually starts. Aubrey agrees and the two of them make their way to the cafe on the other side of campus. Chloe and Aubrey enter a discussion about the current reigning pop queens, both weighing in on their opinions about each.

Chloe prefers Gaga while Aubrey insists that everything she’s done, Madonna’s already done first. Chloe bites her tongue and agree to disagree, instead turning the conversation around to Adele as they approach the cafe. Discussing Adele’s pregnancy and how it will affect the content of her next record, Chloe allows Aubrey in front of her in line. She orders a salad and Chloe opts for soup and a sandwich, reasoning that maybe soup will help your nodes somehow. When they get their food, Aubrey leads them to a table and they both sit down and begin to eat.

She recounts the disaster from last semester—resulting in her projectile vomiting in front of everyone—and assures Chloe that this year will be different, better. As Chloe swallows a spoonful of soup, she suggests that maybe they should choose a different song this year. She’s honestly pretty sick of singing Ace of Base. But Aubrey disagrees, arguing that the song is a classic and pointing out how the Bellas were unable to finish last year’s set.

“That just gives us an advantage—they haven’t seen our entire set yet. Of course we’ll have to teach the songs and the choreography to a whole new group of girls, but it can be done with you and me as leaders.” She actually smiles and takes a sip of her bottled water. “I anticipate an aca-mazing year!”

Chloe admires her positivity despite all that went wrong last year. It’s not that she’s not positive, actually she’s too positive and often irritates people because of it, but Chloe doesn’t get how she can feel so secure about the same tired routine they’d been doing forever. She offers Aubrey a smile that feels more like a grimace and hurriedly finishes her lunch. Together they run off more copies of the fliers and discuss the game plan as they make their way to the activities’ fair. It’s already beginning and so they have to scramble to set up their booth, because god forbid all the good talent gets taken by the second rate coed a capella groups.

Ten minutes into trying to find recruits, Aubrey’s already flipping out. She sounds so exasperated and she’s shaking so much it’s actually making CHLOE nervous. She has such high standards for the group that she wants all their members to be both hot and good singers. But Chloe thinks that’s ridiculous. Who cares about “bikini ready bodies” in a singing competition? She mentions that maybe they should try to seek good singers and not worry about looks, but Aubrey gives her a withering glare. However, it doesn’t take too long for her to come to Chloe’s way of thinking, because none of the attractive girls seem to be listening to either of them despite how hard they’re trying.

When the largely sized woman approaches the booth, Chloe can hear Aubrey scoffing. But this girl says she can sing and match pitch, so the two of them test her out. She’s a little odd, what with the whole mermaid dancing bit and the Australian accent, but her voice is solid for the most part. So Chloe tells her about auditions and hands out a flyer. The woman, who has dubbed herself Fat Amy (“so twig bitches like you don’t do it behind my back”) thanks them and heads off in the opposite direction. That’s when Chloe sees her.

Her blue eyes are trained forward, lined with thick black eyeliner, her ears covered in piercings, her nails painted black. Something about the way she walks catches Chloe’s attention and so she calls her over. As she tries to convince this breath-taking enchantress to come to auditions, Chloe can feel her gaze on her along with her obvious judgment. She seems to think the whole idea of a capella competition is stupid and of course Aubrey immediately hates her, based on her snide remarks and her appearance, which she’s already deemed to be “too alternative.”

But as the girl turns Chloe down and admits that she doesn’t sing, she sees the tattoo on her wrist. It’s of a grasshopper. Upon seeing it, Chloe feels a strange sensation in her body. It’s like a sign (oh, great, now she’s going to have that song stuck in her head and it’s never going to leave.)

“I have a bug tattoo!” And Chloe shows her own tattoo, which is of a ladybug.

She seems to think Chloe is strange for pointing it out, but Chloe is excited at this connection between herself and the girl she’s already decided is the cutest girl she’s ever seen before. She doesn’t really understand why, it’s almost like her heart is fluttering. From the shared tattoo to the way she stands up to Aubrey and shoots her comments right back, Chloe is in awe. Her grin only widens as she continues to talk with her and she find that she is disappointed when the beautiful stranger shuffles away.

Part of Chloe wants to follow her and talk to her about something, anything at all. Being away from Aubrey for a minute would probably ease her headache at least, and she could do with a new friend, but she has to stay and man the booth. She passes out tons of fliers and hopes for the best; although hardly any of the girls they speak to match the physical requirements Aubrey is so keen on keeping. She doesn’t have much choice though, because as Chloe sees it, the girls who have the voices this year may not all be tiny beach babes, and she doesn’t think that’s such a bad thing anyway.

The rest of the day passes like a blur and as do the first few weeks of the semester. Classes are going well and fliers are continuing to be passed out, as audition time approaches. It’s the night before auditions when she sees her again—the alternative girl from activities fair day. Well, to be fair, she hears her before she sees her.

To take her mind off of how intense Aubrey’s been lately, Chloe finds herself a guy. His name is Henry and he isn’t her boyfriend, but she spends a lot of time making out and having sex with him just for something to do to relieve the tension. He’s nice enough and pretty cute, and during the night in question, they are having a post-sex shower session. Chloe’s rinsing her hair when she hears her voice, angelic yet with a low gravelly quality. It’s a girl a few showers down, singing the words to one of her very favorite songs. Without any reservation she hunts her down and pushes her way through the shower curtain.

“Aha!” It’s like she’s discovered a new atomic element upon having heard her amazing voice. It’s just what the Bellas need.

“OH MY GOD!” She screams, obviously startled by Chloe’s sudden appearance as she grabs the shower curtain and tries to cover up her body.

“You CAN sing.” Chloe grins at her despite her reaction to her arrival in her shower.

Chloe’s just so thrilled to have found that the girl she vividly remembers from that day actually can sing, and very well, in fact. She knew it. She had that feeling in the pit of her stomach and now she knows this was it. She was sensing her raw talent. The girl shuts off the shower, still looking at Chloe like she’s crazy. She doesn’t mind, she’s used to people looking at her that way.

“You were singing Titanium, right?”

She raises her eyebrows and looks surprised that Chloe knows what she was singing.

“You know David Guetta?”

“What, have I been living under a rock? Of course I do.” She seems like the type of girl who doesn’t listen to mainstream radio, though, so maybe she doesn’t know that Titanium has reached serious top 40 status. “That’s my jam. My…lady jam. I love how that song just builds, you know?” She gives Chloe a look that indicates her statement did seem oddly sexual and Chloe laughs.

“Not like that. Sing with me.” Chloe prompts and she just stares. “Not for that purpose.”

It sounds like she’s about to get off to her voice, which is so not her point. But she doesn’t say anything and so Chloe fills the void with more words, hoping eventually she’ll give in and sing.

“You HAVE to join the Bellas.” She urges her as her grin widens. Her eyes trail over the girl’s body, which she’s doing a pretty bad job at hiding with the shower curtain.

“I..can’t concentrate on anything until you cover your junk!” She yells back, and Chloe holds back a laugh. She’s staring at Chloe’s body and it makes her proud somehow.

“I’m pretty confident. About all…this.” She gestures to her body.

It doesn’t bother Chloe being naked in front of her. Not at all. And the other girl’s nudity doesn’t really bother Chloe either. Far from it, actually. She has a very nice body and under different circumstances she might comment on it, but since she already thinks Chloe’s a weirdo, she doesn’t wanna push it.

“As you should be.” Her compliment catches Chloe off guard but she enjoys it all the same.

Instead of covering herself like she’s requested, Chloe tells her that she’s not leaving until she sings. She gazes at Chloe for a moment, trying to gauge whether she’s serious or not. Her eyes widen when she realizes that she is. Hesitantly she begins to sing.

 _Bulletproof…_  her voice echoes in the shower stall.

Chloe joins in, their voices mingling to perfection.

_Nothing to lose, fire away, fire away_

Chloe can’t believe how amazing their voices sound together. Her voice paired with hers sounds like something out of a Disney movie.

_Ricochet, you take your aim, fire away, fire away_

God, she’s even better at singing that Aubrey is, not that she would ever dare speak that in Aubrey’s presence. Her eyes burn into Chloe’s as they both continue to sing. Her heart is racing.

_You shoot me down, but I won’t fall, I am titanium_

Chloe can’t help but smile when they both finish and she returns it, causing a strange fluttering sensation in Chloe’s stomach that she doesn’t have much time to think about, because Henry has wandered over and sticks his head into the shower they are occupying.

“You have a lovely voice.” He tells her and Chloe looks over at him; nodding in agreement even though she’s pretty irritated he interrupted what she thought had been a moment between herself and the other girl.

Awkwardly she thanks him. As he walks off, Chloe manages to say goodbye. She realizes she still hasn’t caught her name and she spin around to ask it. The brunette grips the towel close to her body even though Chloe has just spent almost ten minutes in full view of her nude body.

“Sorry about all this, I know I probably seem weird. You’re just a really great singer.” Chloe tells her cautiously, offering her a smile. “Anyway, I never caught your name. I told you mine was Chloe, right? When we met at the activities fair and you told me you couldn’t sing?”

She chuckles, narrowing her blue eyes, which are darker than Chloe’s.

“Thanks. Um, I’m Beca. I’m really not a singer, but—”

“Yes, you are.” She giggles lightly.

She’s proven she’s a singer, they just performed an amazing duet, and Chloe’s not going to let her argue otherwise.

“Just consider it, okay? It’s just an audition, it’s not a contract.”

With a flounce of her hair, Chloe leaves her alone to finish showering. She keeps replaying the scene in her head as she makes her way back to her dorm room, telling Henry goodbye. She doesn’t want his company right now because she’s way too excited about auditions and what has just happened. She hopes she did enough convincing to make Beca show up.

When she gets back to her room, she decides it’s best not to tell Aubrey about the encounter in the shower. It would only bore her and she’s already got it out for Beca for some stupid reason. Chloe figures the outstanding audition she’s bound to give will convince her.

Auditions themselves are pretty excruciating. They see a lot of familiar faces, including Fat Amy the mermaid dancer (who thankfully left that bit out of her routine) and entirely too many bad singers. As the auditions round to a close, Chloe finds herself feeling disappointed Beca didn’t show up. She had been almost certain she would. But then she sees her on the side of the stage and she announces that they have one last audition. As Beca approaches the stage, she admits that she didn’t prepare the audition song. Chloe tells her to sing anything she wants and Aubrey kicks her under the table but she doesn’t even care.

Chloe watches transfixed, as Beca leans down and takes the pen cup off the table. She pours the pens out and then starts doing the strangest, most charming thing. She begins making a beat with the cup in this really cool motion where she spins the cup and slams it down and then, after what seems like forever, she starts to sing.

_I got my ticket for the long way ‘round  
Two bottle ‘a whiskey for the way_

She doesn’t know the song but that doesn’t even matter because Beca sounds like a goddess. Chloe’s smiling as wide as she possibly can and she raises ehr eyebrows and exchanges a look with Aubrey before training her eyes back on the girl auditioning. She’s undeniably talented and Chloe can feel herself getting goosebumps from her voice.

_And I sure would like some sweet company  
And I’m leaving tomorrow, wha-do-ya say?_

It feels like Chloe and Beca are the only people in the room and Beca’s staring right at her. Chloe shivers and crosses her arms, trying not to let Beca affect her. It’s like she’s asking Chloe to join her, with the lyrics to the song and the playful way she’s looking at her…she’s alluring in the most unexpected way. Chloe’s speechless as she listens to her. But then as quickly as she started, she’s done.

Everyone seems amazed by what she’s just shown them. Even Aubrey looks visibly impressed. As Chloe chats with her about the auditions they’ve just seen, she notices Beca begin to head out of the auditorium. She really want to say hello and so Chloe excuses herself, following Beca out the door. Beca regards her with an amused grin.

“What a cool audition. Where’d you learn that whole cups routine?” Chloe asks her curiously, honestly having never seen something like that before.

She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “A video I watched online.”

She’s too cool. Chloe’s just a big spaz. She plays it off like she didn’t just perform like a professional singer and here Chloe is just trying not to fangirl on her.

“Oh.” She manages, practically feeling the awkward in the air. “Well. We’ll…let you know.” She offers dumbly. Beca nods and gives Chloe a half wave before making her way down the hall.

Chloe goes to the bathroom to pee, to give her excusing herself purpose. She washes her hands and then rejoins Aubrey, who goes over her notes on the girls who auditioned. She makes fun of the boys; they don’t matter to her anyway since the Bellas are an all-girls team. Together the two of them return to their dorm and make decisions about who they’re choosing.

After making their choices (some of which are pretty sketchy honestly, but there’s slim pickings), they both retire to bed. It’s important to get rest because the next night is initiation night, which is even crazier than auditions. It’s a lot like being sworn into a sorority, except Chloe thinks sororities are totally lame. She and Aubrey will gather up the chosen girls, cover their heads and bring them to a location to initiate them into the Bellas. They’ll have them recite the pledge, give them their scarves and take measurements for uniforms, and finally drink the blood of the sisters (courtesy of Boone’s Farm) before partying all night long. All the chosen from each a capella group gets together before competition starts, because everyone deserves to take a load off before things get serious.

Even though Chloe’s ridiculously excited, she closes her eyes and attempts to sleep. She knows herself well enough to know that what she’s actually excited for is seeing Beca again. All the initiation stuff is secondary. She craves more time with her, for some strange reason. It’s like she’s infatuated. Chloe falls asleep while replaying all her memories with Beca thus far, knowing that it probably makes her some weird freak to do so, but not caring if it does. It’s a talent crush, that’s all, she tells herself as her eyes begin to droop.

The next day involves a lot of preparation. Luckily it’s the weekend. Chloe and Aubrey get everything ready and kidnap the new recruits, shoving red sacks over their heads despite their protests. It’s tradition. Leading everyone to a dark room on campus, Chloe lights the candles for ambience and Aubrey begins her long explanation of why they’re here. Then it’s time for the unveiling and they both acknowledge the new members, speaking their names and their place in the group. Chloe tries to keep her eyes off of Beca as Aubrey directs them through the entire repeat-after-me bit. She wonders if the rule about the Treblemakers will present itself to be as big a problem this year as it has been in the past.

Then the initiation itself is over and it’s time for the fun stuff. All the groups meet at the outdoor auditorium, which is essentially a downward sloping group of concrete seating. There’s music and booze and everyone’s bound to have a great time. Chloe smiles as she approaches Beca, having already had quite a bit to drink against the very little she had to eat today. Chloe’s hands grasp Beca’s arms and she steps closely toward her. She doesn’t look taken aback despite the fact that Chloe’s inches away from her face.

“I think we’re gonna be fast friends.” The redhead whispers, her eyes drifting to her lips that are so very close to her own.

 _Why are you thinking about closing the gap between you, about kissing her?_  It has to be the alcohol swirling in her system.

“Well, you already saw me naked, so.” Beca winks and Chloe nods because it’s true, wondering if she’s flirting with her or just being weird and drunk like she is.

She has to tear herself away before she does something stupid. Chloe hears her call after her — “make good choices” — which is just such an odd thing to say. She grins back at Beca before joining Aubrey, who’s chatting with Fat Amy. As she steps toward them she notices that they’re discussing which of the Bellas is a lesbian. Chloe narrows her eyes and says nothing, hoping she hasn’t been too obvious about her weird girl crush. But Fat Amy says she’s betting on Cynthia Rose and Chloe actually lets out a sigh of relief.

It takes a second for both of them to register her presence and it looks like she’s interrupted a moment, causing Chloe to laugh to herself because she can’t believe Aubrey of all people is actually making friends with someone like Amy. It’s a nice change though. That and she’s starting to wonder about her own sexuality. Boys are boys and whatever, she doesn’t really care one way or another, but Beca’s different. _Are you really starting to actually like her, or is this still just a talent crush thing?_  She’s starting to lose track.

Even though Chloe injects herself into Fat Amy and Aubrey’s conversation, she makes minimal comments. Her eyes are too busy finding Beca, who’s being chatted up by one of the Trebles. It seems that Aubrey has followed her gaze and she glares, assuming the worst.

“And thus the travesty begins!” She announces, gesturing rudely.

She takes a long drink from her cup and Chloe is about to say something, feeling a serious pang of jealousy in her chest as she observes Beca and the guy. But the music gets louder and everyone starts cheering, dancing and singing along. She tries to forget how she just felt and focuses on the music. It’s all about the music.

Chloe’s not really sure what drives her to it, but she manages to drink entirely too much that night. She isn’t usually the partying type either. Something about seeing Beca and Jesse together (she’s found out after a little snooping what his name is, and that he and Beca are apparently working together at the radio station) sets her off. She spends most of the night rambling drunkenly to anyone who will listen and making out with some guy she meets on the walk back to her dorm.

The next morning Chloe has a legendary hangover, causing her to sleep much later than usual. When she finally arises from bed with her hair a mangled mess, Aubrey gives her an audacious look like she can’t believe Chloe got drunk last night. She’s not much for drinking herself, something tells Chloe that it’s the mere thought of letting go that prevents her from indulging in the substance, and now she’s judging Chloe for partaking herself. But Chloe shrugs her off as she swallows some aspirin, humming Titanium under your breath as she grabs her things to take to the bathroom. Her mouth tastes disgusting. Upon realizing the song she’s singing and who it reminds her of, she immediately silences herself.

“I’m gonna go shower and brush my teeth.” Chloe announces to Aubrey.

“You do that.” She responds in a huff, giving an extra hard turn to the page in the book she’s reading.

There’s a tearing sound as she does so and Chloe stifles a laugh as she pulls her towel over her shoulder and makes her way out of the room.

In her pajamas she trudges down the hall and to the bathroom, running her tongue over her teeth. After getting undressed, Chloe begins her selection of a vacant shower, before hearing someone clear her throat behind her. Out of habit she spins around to see who it is, being greeted by the sight of Beca at the sink. She dries her hands and walks toward Chloe.

“Fancy meeting you here. Are you stalking me?” She jokes.

Chloe laughs half-heartedly. Her head is pounding. “You know it. I can’t get enough of you. Thought we’d do another naked duet. How about it?” She’s already halfway there after all; she’s disrobed fully in front of her for the second time.

“Mmmm.” She considers and looks Chloe over. “Gonna have to pass. But you sure look like you had your share of fun last night. Your hair has taken on an interesting shape.” Beca grins teasingly at her and she shrugs.

“It’s important to let go sometimes.” Chloe responds earnestly. “Looks like you were having a whole lot more fun than I was, boy toy and all. Aubrey wasn’t too pleased with you, she saw your canoodling.”

“We weren’t canoodling! Jesse and I are friends. JUST friends. Can’t a girl be friends with a guy without everyone assuming they’re fucking?” The foul language causes Chloe to stop for a moment and she lock eyes with Beca, immediately feeling guilty for even mentioning it.

“Sorry. I-I know you’re not—I just…ugh. I don’t wanna fight, okay?” She sighs, leaning against the wall. “My head feels like someone’s running a jackhammer on it and my stomach’s all queasy and I look like I’ve just crawled out of a dirty swamp. I just don’t have the energy for this right now.”

Now it’s Beca who looks apologetic. “No, it’s cool. I’m not mad; I guess I was just being defensive or whatever. Force of habit.” She shrugs, grabbing her bag that hangs on the hook nearby. “Just tell Aubrey nothing’s going on between Jesse and me.”

“You swear?” Chloe doesn’t know why she asks this, but it comes from her mouth before she can stop herself.

“I swear.” The words calm her immediately and she gives Beca a diplomatic nod, pleased with her response.

 She offers Chloe a grin and tells her that she’ll see you later, and Chloe watch her walk away before she get into the shower to deskankify herself so she’ll look like some semblance of human for the initial Bellas meeting later.

The meeting is meant to set up the practice schedule as well as other important duties such as Aubrey’s boot camp, which includes cardio and vocal exercises. But it takes a turn for the worse because Aubrey’s already kicked out a Bella, and it’s been literally a day since the new recruits were sworn in. Apparently the girl had been seen making out with one of the Trebletones last night and went back to his room. As clearly stated in their pledge, this was a violation of the rule and she was immediately thrown out.

After this situation is explained, another member cracks, revealing that she had hooked up with one of guys last night as well. Aubrey tells her to leave and turn in her scarf, and the poor shell of a girl drags the metal chair she’d been sitting in across the concrete floor as she leaves the group. The horrible screeching the legs of the chair make when they make contact with the floor is excruciating, making the whole experience even more awkward. Then she drops the chair by the ledge and runs out crying. It’s the first real meeting and it is already intense. But things were always intense with the Bellas, and will only be more so with Aubrey running things.

“Was that _really_  necessary?” Beca calls out after the girl’s tantrum, obviously appalled by the entire display.

Aubrey raises her eyebrows in disbelief that the new girl would dare question her. Chloe thinks Beca’s right, but she stands your ground and listens to Aubrey’s explanation, something she heard ages ago and has abided by.

“You can fool around with whoever you want to.” She continues. “Just not a Treble.” Cynthia Rose isn’t listening, as this conversation isn’t relevant to her at all. She stares blatantly at Stacie’s chest.

“That’s not gonna be easy. He’s a hunter.” Stacie admits after Aubrey continues to belabor the point. She gestures to her lady area and causes a titter from the girls seated around her.

“You call it a dude?” Beca asks with bewilderment.

Ignoring the comments, Aubrey tightens her argument, locking eyes with Stacie and giving her a serious face. She looks pretty menacing, Chloe has to admit.

“Stacie, the Trebles don’t respect us, and if we let them penetrate us, we are giving them our power.” She clarifies this as if she’s speaking with a five year old, the usage of the word penetrate notwithstanding.

“Not a good enough reason to use the word ‘penetrate.’” Fat Amy mutters.

Chloe doesn’t know if she means to be, but she’s honestly the funniest person she’s ever met and it’s difficult not to crack up around her sometimes. She make a note to tell Amy that at some point.

Aubrey runs through the schedule and everyone takes furious notes on when and where practices will be. When she’s finally done talking, everyone seems relieved. It is then she has everyone begin practicing, because they have their first gig very soon.

The gig totally bombs. The girls don’t have the choreography down at all and the singing is pretty off kilter, especially Chloe’s. She is holding back because of the nodes, and because of that, she doesn’t sound as good as she typically does. As a perfectionist, this really bothers her. The song is cut off when they are all escorted away, cuing the laughter and rude comments from the frat guys. Dejectedly the group leaves and Aubrey, as if on cue, begins to berate them all.

“Remember how bad this feels…” she tells you, trying to shame them into practice overdrive since apparently none of them are ready for the upcoming competitions. Chloe hasn’t been listening to her words, preoccupied with her thoughts but she comes back to reality when she hears her name on Aubrey’s lips. “And Chloe, you didn’t sound Aguilerian at ALL.” She’s referring to Christina Aguilera, whom all of them adore due to her powerhouse voice.

 _It’s now or never,_  Chloe tells herself. She has to give an explanation for her poor performance. And so she discloses the full story about her diagnosis for vocal nodes. Everyone gasps and Aubrey holds Chloe’s hands tightly in hers.

Beca seems confused and she poses the question about what nodes are, and so Aubrey jumps in and describes them. This bothers Chloe, because she’s the one who has them and she feels that she deserve to explain them. Beca does seem to understand how serious this is, though, and Chloe’s thankful for that.

“That sounds painful. Why would you keep on singing if it hurts you?”

It’s a valid point, but not singing isn’t an option for Chloe. Stacie likens your experience to when her doctor told her not to have sex for a few weeks and she did it anyway. Although it’s a poor comparison, Chloe is amused by the anecdote. Silence settles over the group until Fat Amy makes a comment of her own.

“At least it’s not herpes.” A beat passes and Aubrey glances at her, shock registering on her face. “Or do you have that, as well?”

Obviously Chloe doesn’t have herpes and the comment seems pretty off the wall, but it doesn’t bother her much. She likes that about Amy. She says whatever it is she’s thinking, regardless of how absolutely ridiculous her observations can be sometimes. Fat Amy is the comic relief of the group and Chloe’s honestly thankful, because her odd sense of humor has already proven to be helpful in relieving stress and tension amongst the group. She really is a valuable part of the Bellas, even if her gestures can get a little rudimentary sometimes.

After that humiliating experience, Aubrey ups the practice schedule. It seems like every moment not spent in class is spent practicing and bettering the routine. Chloe’s so sick of the stupid, overused routine that she find herself not putting as much effort in as she should and Aubrey notices. After one particularly grueling practice, Chloe and Beca take a walk together on campus. It’s already dark and there’s a chill in the air as the two of them walk aimlessly around just to get a break.

“Crickets are pretty cool, huh?” Beca asks as they both hear the sounds of crickets chirping their songs in the background.

Chloe grins. “Yeah, sometimes.”

“As long as they aren’t living in your house, right?” She laughs and stops at the cafe, gesturing toward the still lit building. “How about a coffee?”

“Sure. If you’re treating me.” Chloe teases and she agrees, leading them inside to the heated restaurant.

The two of them order coffees and huddle together at a corner table, Chloe’s fingers wrapping around the Styrofoam cup in an attempt to get feeling back in them again. It seems kind of like a date; actually, since Beca insisted on paying for Chloe’s coffee and it’s just the two of them. Chloe realizes that this is the first time the two of them have actually seen each other alone outside of a shower and the thought makes her smirk.

“What are you looking so smug about?” She wonders, noticing Chloe’s random smile.

“Smug? No, just amused. Do you realize this is the first time that we’ve hung out? I mean besides running into you in the bathroom.” She remarks and Beca begins grinning back at her.

She takes a sip of her coffee. “You look different with clothes on.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Chloe challenges her, thinking Beca’s making a comment about how she looks better naked. Chloe’s staring at her in wait for an answer and she bursts out laughing.

“Just saying. That’s all. You’re pretty either way, so.”

“You think I’m pretty?” She’s beaming at her compliment and Beca seems to get a bit flustered, murmuring something like ‘well, duh,’ which only makes Chloe smile more. “For the record, so are you. I mean, you’re so skinny, skinnier than me, and your eyes are so—and you do your makeup really well and…okay, I’m rambling. Sorry.”

Beca doesn’t mind. “No, no, by all means, continue.”

She likes hearing about herself, huh? Chloe continues feeding her compliment after compliment and she gives her a few of her own as their coffees grow steadily emptier. She asks if Chloe wants another and Chloe declines, reminding her that they both have practice fairly early tomorrow and she doesn’t want the caffeine to keep her up. Beca hesitates and seems somehow bummed that Chloe’s putting an end to the evening. Just seeing that look on her face makes Chloe want to spend every waking moment by her side, just so she’ll never have to see her look so sad and pathetic all over again. She mentions that maybe she’ll invite Jesse to come over when she gets back and Chloe crosses her arms, trying not to seem bothered by the whole idea of them hanging out together. Beca knows it bugs Chloe, but she probably thinks it’s because of the whole dating/sex with Trebles rule. She doesn’t know it’s because she’s jealous.

Reluctantly, they part ways to their own rooms once they get to their dorm building. Chloe tells her goodbye and sigh to herself, slipping her ear buds into her ears and navigating to the Beca playlist on her iPod. She’s provided Chloe with all her mixes, which are reaching frighteningly high play counts already.  
  
            “Guess what tomorrow is?” Aubrey greets Chloe with this question as soon as she steps inside the dorm room. She shrugs and closes the door.

“Uh, Friday?”

Aubrey rolls her eyes and groans at Chloe. “The Riff Off’s tomorrow! And it gives us a chance to show how much better we’ve gotten since that awful first gig…we can beat the pants off the Trebles!” She exclaims with so much excitement that Chloe actually feels a bit nauseous.

All she can think about is what Beca’s up to right now and whether she’s spending the rest of the evening in Jesse’s arms. It’s enough to give her a headache. Chloe musters up a smile for Aubrey, though, because she knows she expects it from her.

“Right! We’re gonna be awesome!” Chloe adds with an unfortunate lack of enthusiasm.

“Aca-awesome.” She corrects her, jabbing Chloe in the side with her finger. “So where were you, anyway? Rolling around in the sack with Henry again?” Aubrey wonders.

“Oh, um…” Chloe stammers, nervous that she won’t approve of her new found friendship with Beca.

 But as she feels Aubrey’s eyes on hers, she decides screw it and she tells her about how they hung out after practice. Aubrey huffs jealously at Chloe.

“Are you mad? I mean, I’m allowed to have other friends, right?”

Aubrey gives Chloe a sickly sweet smile. “Of course you are.” She brings her lips to Chloe’s cheek, her arm grabbing the other girl roughly around the waist. “Be friends with whomever you want, sweetie. Just stay on your toes, ‘cause with a girl like her, well, you never know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The comment strikes a chord with Chloe and she moves Aubrey’s arm away, frustrated with her attitude about Beca. She hasn’t liked her since the first day they met and she merely tolerates her due to the fact that she does have a great voice. Even Aubrey can’t deny that much.

“I just mean you shouldn’t trust her is all. She’s got an attitude problem, for starters, and she’s heading toward the wrong path. You know as well as I do that she and Jesse have the hots for each other, and there’s only so long before they—”

“Stop.” Chloe grits your teeth and pushes her away. “You’re talking about something you know nothing about. You don’t know her like I do, okay? She’s actually really cool, and nothing’s happened between her and Jesse. She would have told me.”

“That’s what you think.” Aubrey laughs.

She knows Aubrey thinks she’s naive, but she’s wrong. Chloe thinks the best of people, sure, but only until they prove her wrong.

 “Honey, don’t think I don’t notice the huge toner you’ve got going on for her. It’s fine, perfectly fine, whatever. Just don’t let it cloud your judgment. She’s a good addition to the Bellas, so long as she stays in line. But if she becomes a problem I won’t hesitate to throw her out. Keep your eyes on the prize, Chloe. By the way? The prize is winning nationals, not burying your head in Beca’s snatch. In case you were confused.”

Chloe can’t believe the words she just heard coming out of her mouth. She knows that Aubrey has a tendency to be a bit abrasive but even this is too much coming from her. Clenching her jaw, she turns from her, trying to settle her temper before she says or does something stupid. Chloe can practically feel Aubrey’s eyes burning a hole in the back of her head.

“What…do you think…” Chloe spins back around furiously. “gives you the right to comment on my feelings for Beca? Regardless of whether you are correct or not. Just because you’re my best friend doesn’t mean I have to take your crap. I’m not going to let you treat me like dirt anymore. I’ve really had it with you lately. You’ve been so different this year. Worse.”

Aubrey bites her lip, hard. Chloe can see her eyes start to fill with tears. But she won’t fall for the waterworks. Aubrey always does this to her and she always forgive her. The cycle needs to stop.

“I’m sorry.” She finally says, her voice breaking. “I know. I’ve been mean to you and I’m sorry. I’m just trying to do what’s best for you, is all. And I don’t think she’s what’s best for you.”

“Luckily it’s not up to you to decide that.” Chloe responds, moving closer to her. A tear is falling down Aubrey’s cheek and Chloe wipes it away out of habit. “Don’t cry, alright? Fight is over.”

With a sudden grin, Aubrey wipes her eyes and sniffles. “Okay. Good.” She perks up and leans in close to Chloe. “If this whole Beca thing is just you wanting to experiment, you know, I volunteer my services. I’ve never been with a girl before, but if I did decide to try it, I’d want it to be you. And I’ll have you know, I’ve got an amazing lung capacity.” She raises her eyebrows suggestively and you immediately burst into laughter.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

By the time for the Riff Off, Chloe has pretty much forgiven Aubrey. She’s been sucking up to her ever since and maybe even flirting with her a little, too, which is strange. It’s been ages since the last Riff Off and Chloe find herself getting pumped up for it. The entire idea behind it is riffing off on each other, keeping the songs going until someone breaks the rule and gets cut. The Trebletones have won it every single time for the past several years, but Chloe and the rest of the team vow that it’ll be different this go around.

The four a capella groups are situated in the empty pool, a list of the different categories projected on the concrete wall. They wait for the category to be chosen—and it’s a category perfect for the team: 80s pop females. As they discuss what song to do, the Trebles jump in and start it all off. Chloe has to admit it’s pretty amusing hearing Bumper sing the words to “Mickey,” but even so, she’s frustrated they didn’t get the first song in. The songs are tossed around until one team is cut, leaving only three of them left.

The next category is songs about sex. Chloe is a bit surprised when Cynthia Rose jumps right in, singing her favorite Rihanna song, S&M, which no one can deny was written about sex. The group jumps in and they’re all sounding badass until the guys interrupt with a rendition of (what else) Let’s Talk About Sex. Just when Chloe’s worried no one from their group will step up, Stacie begins singing I’ll Make Love To You. She stops to appreciate how appropriate this song is for Stacie before she runs to her aid and backs her up with everyone else. The riff continues when Jesse brings in Feels Like the First Time. He and Beca are exchanging some serious flirtatious looks and Chloe can feel her chest tightening at the sight, but Beca’s still feeling fiercely competitive despite any flirting that might be going on.

She pushes forward, busting out the rap from No Diggity like it’s no big deal. The group is stunned for a long time and doesn’t even recognize the song until she begins the chorus, and finally they all back her up. It seems to be going great and Chloe thinks they’ve won until they finish the song and are told that they’re disqualified due to a technicality. Beca’s rap started with “it’s” and she was supposed to match “it.” That rule has never come into play before and Aubrey argues against it, but there’s no point. The Trebles have won. Again.  
  
          The next day, they all discuss the number for sectionals. Aubrey tries to decide who deserves the solo and Fat Amy butts in, heavily hinting that she’s interested in the solo. Chloe mentions that it should go to Beca, but Aubrey doesn’t agre. Fat Amy really wants it and Beca doesn’t fight for it at all, so it goes to her. Chloe wonder briefly if she can even pull it off.

For what it’s worth, she does manage to pull off the solo. She goes way off from your choreography, though, ripping off her jacket before she opens her shirt and exposes her undershirt. Aubrey doesn’t flip out as much about it as she normally would, scolding Amy mildly and reminding her to keep to the routine. Chloe can’t believe she’s being so easy on her, because if, say, Beca, had strayed from the routine, she wouldn’t hear the end of it.

When they get the scores from sectionals, Aubrey realizes how close the Sockapellas were to defeating them. That lights a serious fire under her butt and she kicks things into high gear. Beca tries to make suggestions but they fall on deaf ears, the routine not being changed at all. Even Chloe thinks it’s a serious risk to do the exact same routine at regionals, knowing that the judges will be sick of it and that it isn’t good enough to beat the Trebles. She tries her best to get Aubrey to listen to reason but she’s hearing none of it. Practices continue with the same routine and they have it down perfect by the time regionals roll around.

The best part of regionals is the bus ride. Riding on a bus with nine other girls they adore is buckets of fun, especially when Chloe’s iPod sing along becomes a full on karaoke session. There’s a short interlude where Amy freaks out over having Mexican food thrown from the Treble bus as she’s pumping gas, but she gets over it. Mostly. Things seem to be perfect as Chloe and the girls sing Party in the U.S.A., even getting Beca to jump in at the chorus. She makes a mental note to tease her later for knowing the lyrics to a Miley Cyrus song, but any thoughts of teasing or of anything rational go out the window when the bus breaks down. Fat Amy admits that the drive by distracted her from filling up the tank, and now they are stuck in the middle of nowhere without a ride. But then Amy fesses up to having Bumper’s number, offering to call him to beg for a ride.

“Why do you have Bumper’s number?”

She makes a show of not knowing, and it’s obvious that the two of them are messing around. Chloe and Beca exchange disgusted glances and she makes an obscene gesture by circling the index and thumb of her left hand, while moving her other index finger through it. This sexual reference actually causes Chloe to have a ridiculous giggle fit, resulting in a chastising glare from Aubrey. When Fat Amy gets off the phone, she announces that Bumper actually agreed to pick them up and so it doesn’t take long before they’re on their bus, which is much nicer than the Bella’s rental bus. Secretly Chloe’s thankful for the better vehicle, not that she’d say it aloud for fear that Aubrey would actually produce tangible daggers from her eyes if she heard her actually thanking the Trebles or saying anything remotely nice to them.

Aubrey sulks and leans against the window as the others bond. Lilly sits up front near the driver, the Indian guy with the glasses whose name she hasn’t bothered to learn, and they seem to be talking and beat boxing together. Fat Amy and Bumper are casually not-flirting, Cynthia Rose is dealing cards to a group in the back and Stacie is chatting up another one of the guys. From her seat next to Aubrey, Chloe glances over at Beca. Jesse’s dropped into the seat beside her and they’re laughing about something. Chloe sighs and Aubrey turns her head to look at her. She gestures her hands.

“Just go. Get her, or whatever.” She mumbles and Chloe grins, hopping up and going over to the two of them.

They stop talking as soon as she arrives and Beca suggests that maybe Jesse go play poker with the rest of the guys. Taking the hint, he does so, but not before giving her the most awful puppy dog stare she’s ever seen in her life.

“So, are you excited about regionals?” Chloe asks, not knowing what else to talk about.

She makes a face. “Not..particularly.” Dropping her voice, she explains why. “You know we’re not gonna win with this routine all the way through each round. We’ll be lucky if we make second tonight, but somehow I don’t see it happening. Can’t you get Aubrey to—”

“You can’t get Aubrey to do anything. Believe me. I’ve tried.” Chloe admits, settling into her seat and studying Beca with no reserve. She looks cute in the outfit they’re all wearing. “So, uh, what’s up with Jesse?” She pretends to be interested for a moment when really the thought of them together makes her want to puke.

“Nothing’s up. What you see is what you get, Chloe. We hang out here and there but nothing’s happened. We haven’t even kissed.” She says it like a promise and Chloe’s heart is fluttering as she notices that their legs are touching.

“O-oh.” It takes entirely too much effort to get that syllable to leave her mouth.

Beca’s hand drops onto hers and Chloe swallows and meets her eyes, her stomach doing flips from the way the deejay looks at her.

“Why so interested?” She grins.

“I’m not!” Chloe says it too quickly and Beca gives her a look of disbelief. “I mean you’re my friend and I care about you and I’m interested in your life.”

“Good answer.” She pats Chloe’s hand and then withdraws her own, sighing. “How long until we get to Lincoln Center? It feels like twenty years away.”

“Almost there!” Someone yells and she relaxes, her head moving so she can glance out the window. Chloe takes the moment to study her, sighing inwardly at how ridiculous Beca can make her feel. She catches Jesse giving her an odd look and she shoots him a glare so that he looks away.

Soon they arrive at Lincoln Center and they see another amazing group, possibly even better than the Trebles. How in the hell are they going to place with both of those groups having a serious advantage over them? Chloe tries to maintain positive thoughts as they take the stage, but she’s nervous. She knows Aubrey is, too, she’s shaking. But she sings without vomiting, which is a good thing for everyone involved. Things are going okay, they sound fine, but the audience looks bored. Some people start talking and texting and doing other things and the Bellas keep singing.

 But then Chloe hears an opposing voice. Beca. She’s singing Bulletproof, loudly overpowering Aubrey and making the number into an unapproved mash up. Chloe knows that Aubrey’s going to be beyond pissed when all this is over, but she admires Beca for trying to mix things up a little.

Sure enough, the little change Beca opted for sends Aubrey through the roof. She blames her for their loss, even though Chloe thinks she’s the only reason they even placed at all. The Trebles win their stupid trophy and the Bellas walk dejectedly out into the lobby, where it seems a fight is breaking out. Chloe can’t believe what’s happening when Beca jumps in, seemingly defending Jesse as she punches some guy. Chloe crosses her arms and watches as Fat Amy joins them and everything goes awry. Somehow the trophy breaks, goes cascading across the room, and shatters the glass door nearby. Cue the cops.

She feels helpless as she watches Beca get arrested. Chloe wants to follow the cops to the station and plead with them to let her out, but she sees Jesse already heading that way. He’s apparently got it taken care of, much to her distaste.

“Why don’t we go wait up for Beca in her room? They won’t keep her overnight.” Chloe asks the Bellas, hoping they will agree. And surprisingly, they do. Apparently despite her anger at Beca, Aubrey is impressed by what she did and she agrees to come along.

It takes hours for her to return and the group occupies themselves by listening to Beca’s amazing mixes. When she does get back, she seems surprised that they all waited up for her. Chloe beams at her as everyone admits how badass her actions had been. Chloe can feel Beca’s gaze on her and she just offers her a smile, wondering if she and Jesse had progressed any further in their friendship since he picked her up at the station.

But she tells the story of what happened, apparently he had called her father and she got angry with him and told him off. Chloe doesn’t want to feel this way but she feels triumphant somehow. She doesn’t like Beca being upset, but she never liked Jesse and she hopes maybe now Beca will forget all about him. Sure, that doesn’t mean that Beca likes Chloe back, but it’s better than seeing her with him.

They all stay with Beca for a while, hanging out and chilling, but the group slowly dwindles down until it’s just Chloe, Beca and Aubrey. Aubrey falls asleep and Beca grins at Chloe, pulling her arm around her shoulder effortlessly.   
  
            “It’s just you and me now.” She says with a drawl, as if they’re about to have a classic Western showdown. Chloe smirks and lean her head against her shoulder with a sigh.

“I can’t believe we lost.” She murmurs, disappointed that they won’t be in the finals.

“Yeah, neither can I.” Beca’s so close to her that she can feel the warmth of her body.

 All Chloe would have to do is lean up to capture her lips in a kiss and when she starts seriously considering it, she pulls yourself away from her.

“I should probably get Aubrey in bed.” She says suddenly, jumping up and grabbing her things. Aubrey lets out a well-timed snore.

Beca nods. “Yeah. Okay. Hey, um, wanna hang out before break? You’re probably going on some crazy vacation or something, right?”

Spring break is in a few days and Chloe is planning on returning home for her node surgery. The season’s over now so there’s no reason not to. She already called her parents after the big loss and told them the news, so they scheduled her appointment. But she doesn’t want to tell Beca something so huge right before she leaves and Chloe figures that she’ll find out eventually. It doesn’t really matter, anyway, does it? It’s just a little surgery.

“Nothing crazy. Just visiting my parents.” She’s not lying; she just left out the surgery bit.

“That’s crazy in itself.” Beca laughs and Chloe chuckles. “I’ll be right here. Manning the campus radio station while everyone’s off having fun and sipping margaritas.”

“At least you have the whole campus to yourself.” Chloe offers lamely as she tries to wake Aubrey up. She mutters something about Kuwait and her father and Chloe stop to look at her for a moment. “Aubrey? Wake up; we’re going back to our room.”

Beca taps Chloe on the shoulder with a giant grin coming over her face. “Oooh. Let me.” She says a little bit too eagerly, grabbing a bottle of water from her desk.

She pours some water into her palm and then throws it in Aubrey’s face. The Bellas’ leader coughs and her eyes fly open. She looks at the two of them in confusion.

“What the hell?” She asks, wiping off her face with her sleeve. “Why is my face wet?”

“You fell asleep and drooled **all**  over yourself.” Beca tells her with a straight face.

Aubrey doesn’t question it and so the two of them gather their things and get ready to leave. Before Chloe steps out the open door she turns back and give Beca a wry smile.

The next day Aubrey leaves campus for spring break along with most everyone else. Chloe opts to stay and treat Beca to dinner before her drive back home. She spends the afternoon beautifying herself to a sickening degree, taking a long shower, spending a good while on her hair and makeup and even repainting her nails. It’s six o’clock when Chloe drops by Beca’s room, opening the door without knocking.

“Hey, stranger. You ready?” She asks her and Beca spins around in her computer chair. She nods before pulling a usb drive from her laptop and thrusting it in Chloe’s direction.

“I made you a mix. Beca Mitchell exclusive.” She grins and Chloe takes the drive, extremely flattered that she thought to do that for her.

She thank Beca, a blush creeping to her cheeks. Chloe leads her toward the campus parking lot where her car is parked, explaining that she’s headed out of town after they have dinner.

“Oooh, so we’re going somewhere off campus? Fancy.” Beca comments, raising her eyebrows at her.

“Hah. Yeah.” Chloe murmurs, gazing at her for a moment. “I figured it’d be nice to have something different for once.”

“I like different.” She responds as the two of them approach the parking lot.

“I noticed.” Chloe smiles and Beca gestures toward the parking lot, which is pretty devoid of cars since most everyone’s already left campus.

“Which one’s yours? Wait, let me guess…” She runs ahead, stepping close to the cars and examining each of them. Chloe’s grinning as she waits for her decision. “The BMW?”

Chloe shakes her head in disbelief that Beca’s actually managed to guess which vehicle is hers. Beca’s smirking at Chloe and leaning against her car, waiting for her to admit that it’s hers. The older girl rolls eyes.

“Am I really that predictable?”

She nods. “You really should work on that.”

Stepping toward her, an idea pops into Chloe’s mind. She can think of one way she could be unpredictable. Without a word she presses Beca against the car and kisses her on the lips. Chloe pulls away moments later, feeling her face flush.

“So did you see that coming?” She ask, trying to seem like it hadn’t been a big deal.

Beca stares at her. “No. Can’t say I did.”

Triumphantly Chloe unlock the car with trembling hands, Beca’s eyes still on her. Beca moves from her position by the driver’s side, where Chloe had just pinned her moments before, and circles the car to make her way to the passenger’s side. Chloe slide into the car and plug in her iPod as she gets in beside her. Suddenly, the sound of one of Beca’s mixes start playing and she looks over at Chloe.

“Is this my..?”

“Yeah.” Chloe admits lamely.

“Cool.”

Beca turns up the volume and Chloe put the key in the ignition, starting the car and pulling out of the lot. The two of them jam to the music on the ride to the restaurant, which is a steakhouse. She whistles when they pull into the parking lot, making a comment about this being a ritzy place. Chloe assures Beca that it’s her treat and Beca tries to argue but she silences her with a determined look. Throwing up her hands, she follows Chloe into the restaurant and they go up to the hostess, letting her know there’s two of them. They are shown to their table and both sit down without saying anything. Instead they’re immediately greeted by the waiter and order their drinks before he leaves to get them. Beca gives Chloe an odd look.

“What? Oh, god, you’re not a vegetarian or anything are you?” Chloe gasps, wondering if her decision to take her to the steakhouse was a bad idea.

“Huh? No, no. I eat meat.” She assures her. “I just didn’t expect you to take me somewhere like this. I would have dressed better if I’d known; I mean I look like a bum.”

The waiter returns with their drinks and asks if they’re ready to order. Chloe tell him honestly that they haven’t had time to look at the menu and he offers them a few more minutes to decide. Chloe thanks him and then turns back to Beca.

“You don’t look like a bum. You look gorgeous.” She says matter-of-factly.

Beca sips her coke before thanking Chloe. They both look over their menus and decide on what to eat, and as if on cue, the waiter appears. They order and he goes to put it in the computer, leaving the two of them alone to talk again. The conversation flows well and they begin discussing their classes, home lives, pretty much anything at all, and they’re surprised when your food arrives. It didn’t feel like it had been very long, but maybe that was because both of them were so into the conversation that they didn’t notice. They continue to talk over dinner and when they’re finished, Beca grins at Chloe.

“Could we maybe share a dessert?” She asks a bit hesitantly, because she knows the dinner is probably expensive and she feels guilty that Chloe’s paying. They agree that dessert is a great idea and Chloe orders a piece of chocolate cake for them to share.

The cake is absolutely amazing, but once it’s gone and the waiter delivers the check, they realize it really is time to end the evening. Chloe still has to drive Beca back and then head home, which is several hours’ worth of a drive. Feeling the usb that Beca gave her in her pocket, Chloe decides she’ll load it into her iTunes so she can listen to it on the way home. After receiving their final receipt, Chloe signs it and gives a generous tip before grabbing her jacket. She and Beca walk back to the car, shivering as they are subjected to the slight chill in the air.

Turning on the heat, they let the car warm up before they leave the lot.

“This was really cool. I’ve never really had a girl friend before.” Beca admits and Chloe glances over at her, her heart racing because for a moment she thought she said girlfriend and not girl friend.

“Oh. Really?” Chloe’s surprised by this, but now that she thinks of it she can see why.

Beca’s different from most girls—that’s why Chloe’s so drawn to her—but she probably doesn’t like other girls very often, abstaining from the usual petty drama they engage in.

“Well, I’m honored to be your girl friend.” Chloe laughs awkwardly at what she’s just said and then put the car in reverse, pulling out of the spot.

Neither of them talk much on the ride back. Chloe stops the car at the curb by the dorm, her eyes drifting over to Beca.

“I’ll…see you.” Chloe offers.

Beca rolls her eyes and unbuckles her seatbelt, leaning over the console of the car to hug Chloe. Chloe takes off her seatbelt and gives her a gigantic smile before hugging her tightly.

“Damn. You’re stronger than you look.” She breathes as Chloe hugs her and then lets go, embarrassed that she’s apparently managed to hurt her with her insane hug grip. “You’re just full of surprises tonight. Well, I hope you have a good break, and…” Beca stops and grabs Chloe’s phone from the cup holder, pushing a few buttons and then putting it back. “You have my number now. So text me over break, because I’m going to be bored out of my skull.”

“Yeah! Of course. I will.” Chloe’s still beaming from the hug, thrilled Beca’s just given out her number.

She’s wanted to text her so many times before and now she can.  _Okay, Chloe, calm down,_  Chloe tells herself as her heart pounds in her chest.

Beca thanks her again for dinner before getting out of the car. She closes the passenger door and Chloe watches her walk up the stairs to the dorm building. Once she’s inside, Chloe reaches into her back seat and grabs her laptop. She finds the usb Beca gave her and plugs it in along with her iPod. She quickly adds the mix to her library and syncs it to your iPod before putting everything away. She starts the mix and texts her mom, telling her she’s on her way.

The mixes Beca has given her are even better than the ones she’s already heard and Chloe can’t help but feel proud she’s trusted her with them. She enjoys the drive and is bummed when there’s a few more songs than she can play before she gets there. But she goes ahead and grabs her things and goes inside. Chloe’s parents greet her and they watch television together for a little while before she starts to get tired. After witnessing a loud yawn from Chloe’s mouth, her parents suggest that she go to bed. After all, she has the surgery tomorrow. Nodding she gives them both hugs and a kiss on the cheek before retiring to her old bedroom.

Once she’s settled in bed, she puts on the last few songs before she grabs her phone and send Beca a text.

_Hey, it’s late so sorry if I wake you up, but I just wanted to let you know I made it home okay. Also I listened to the mixes you gave me on the way and they were AMAZING. Seriously. You are ridiculously talented._

Chloe closes her eyes and moves onto her side, grabbing her purple unicorn stuffed animal and holding it close to her. She’s not expecting a response from Beca, but she gets one anyway. Holding the phone in her hand, the bright screen lights up the room as Chloe reads her text message.

_Glad you made it ok. And thanks. It means a lot. Really. :)_

Her little smiley face seems so out of character that it makes Chloe smile like an idiot and she quickly types out a response.

_Anytime! I’m headed to bed though, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow? :)_

Her phone vibrates in her hand and she jumps, having been very close to falling asleep.

_Definitely. Goodnight! :)_

With a tired grin, Chloe puts her phone on her bedside table and turns over onto her other side. It doesn’t take very long for her to fall asleep. When she wakes up, her mom offers breakfast and Chloe reminds her that she’s not supposed to eat because of the surgery. Her stomach is growling, though, and she can only abate it with a glass of water.

She and her family leaves for the hospital where the procedure is being done and Chloe can’t stop shaking she’s so nervous. She really wants to text Beca but she can’t tell her about what’s about to happen because she’s afraid she’ll get angry with her for not saying something last night. Instead Chloe tries to think of other things (like her kiss with Beca) as she is ushered into the hospital and meets with her doctor. He explains what the surgery is going to be like and within no time, she’s being taken to the operating room. She’s put out for the procedure, like she begged to be, and so the next thing she knows, she’s waking up in the hospital bed.

Chloe’s throat is hurting and she’s afraid to talk, uncertain if she even can at this point. The doctor comes back in to see how she’s doing and mentions that she should try her best to abstain from talking today and she nods in agreement, even though the thought of not saying anything all day sounds horrifying to her. He leaves the room and Chloe sends your parents in search of the nurses to bring her cold food and drink. She thinks they’ll help the pain in her throat, plus she hasn’t eaten all day.

Right after her parents leave, her phone goes off. Chloe’s heart leaps in her chest because she thinks maybe it’s Beca, but when she looks at the message she notices it’s from Aubrey. Her eyes dart across the screen, reading her message and she pound her hands on the table in excitement, wishing she could squeal or scream instead. She’s just told Chloe that the Bellas are going to nationals due to the disqualification of one of the winning teams.

Chloe send her back a text, feeling a sense of elation but also doubt as she realizes what this means. Another competition…and she thought the season was over. If she’d known this was going to happen she would’ve waited to have surgery until after nationals. What if Chloe can’t sing the way she could before?

Despite her internal struggle she manages to send Beca a message telling her the news. She highly doubts Aubrey has, as Beca has been more or less kicked out of the group. She doesn’t seem eager about the idea either, because she thinks she’s out but Chloe insists to her that if she’ll just go to practice when they get back that Aubrey will have to let her back in. Chloe almost lets her surgery slip; wanting to tell Beca that with her solo out of commission, Aubrey need a strong voice to replace her, but she decides not to. As she continues texting Beca, her parents return with pudding, Jell-O, ice cream and water. Chloe mouth them a thank you and begins her post-surgery feast.

She recuperates over the weeklong break and return to Barden with her voice intact. She goes through her scales and realizes she can’t do some of the upper notes she could before, but for the most part, she’ll be able to sing the routine. The Bellas meeting is absolute craziness. Chloe couldn’t have predicted it.

When she tell Aubrey that she texted Beca, she gets pretty angry. She starts talking about herself and how controlling she is, because she knows it, and Chloe mentions that maybe she should let go. So she tries. And upon letting go, vomit spews from her mouth all over the place, sending the other Bellas running for cover while Chloe just stands there watching it happen. She’s seen this entirely too many times for it to even faze her anymore. Chloe and Aubrey continue fighting and things are starting to get physical when Beca walks in.

It must look pretty insane; after all, Fat Amy has Chloe and Aubrey in a headlock. Beca looks shocked at the sight and they all stop what they’re doing to look at her, seeing how Aubrey will react. Beca begins her speech, admitting that she really wants to be back in and Aubrey milks it for all it’s worth. She takes an excruciatingly long time to agree, but in the end she does, leaving Chloe and everyone else thrilled as hell.

Beca begins talking to them about how she doesn’t really know any of them all that well and proposes that they all talk about themselves. So they all round up the chairs in a circle. The first one to make a confession is Stacie.

“Alright so none of you know this about me but I have a LOT of sex.”

None of them are shocked by her confession. It’s been obvious since day one and her hoochielicious audition that she’s an incredibly sexual being. Beca admits that she’s never really had any female friends, something she’s already told Chloe, and Chloe smiles at her as she remembers their dinner before break. Cynthia Rose volunteers next and Fat Amy makes offhanded comments about what she’s about to say, waiting for the golden moment when the girl admits she’s a lesbian. But her actual confession is about her gambling problem, which started when she and her girlfriend broke up. Fat Amy gets way too excited about the addition of a girlfriend, glad she’s proven right.

Lilly’s confession is out of nowhere — “I ate my twin in the womb” — and all of them are shocked into silence.

Aubrey stands up next, which takes all of them by surprise.

“I actually really hate myself. Like, a lot. I don’t mean to be so overbearing and intense and bitchy all the time, but I can’t help it. I just wanted to say I’m sorry to all of you for how awful I’ve been all semester.”

Her apology gains several grins and thumbs up and then Chloe decides to make the big reveal. “During break, I had node surgery.” A few people gasp, and she explains further.

She admits that she has lost some of her range, but it seems like it will be okay. They all talk for a bit longer before Beca starts talking about the routine and some ideas she has for it. She leads all of them outside to the pool from the Riff Off and asks Chloe to do the honors. Apparently she’s got an idea to mash up two songs and she asks Aubrey to choose one. Aubrey, for some strange reason, picks Bruno Mars’ Just the Way You Are, which Beca will be mixing with…something else. She doesn’t say. And so they begin to sing the song, per her request, with the girls singing backup.

_Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they’re not shining_

Chloe smiles as she sings because her voice sounds good, and Beca’s looking at her with this huge grin on her face. Chloe’s heart beats faster when she looks at Beca’s eyes and think about the lyrics and how much this song actually reminds her of Beca.

_And her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying  
She’s so beautiful, and I tell her every day_

It’s true, she’s told Beca that she’s beautiful more than once…and the thing about her hair has a grain of truth too. As Chloe’s about to sing the next line, Beca starts to sing the other song that she’s mashing this one up with.

_Uh, I was thinking ‘bout her, thinking ‘bout me_

Chloe continues her own song.

_I know, I know, when I compliment her she won’t believe me_

And Beca’s singing with Chloe, and they sound absolutely flawless.

 _Thinkin’ ‘bout us, what we gon’ be_  
Open my eyes, yeah, it was only just a dream  
And it’s so, it’s so, sad to think that she don’t see what I see  
But every time she asks me “do I look okay?”

Chloe and Beca are close to each other as they sing, their eyes burning into one another’s, reminding Chloe of their last duet together in the shower.

 _It was only just a dream  
I say_  
 _When I see your face_  
So I travelled back, down that road

Chloe can feel her whole body buzzing with joy at how great they sound and the tingling sensations she’s getting from Beca’s entire existence.

 _There’s not a thing that I would change_  
Will she come back, no one knows  
‘Cause you’re amazing  
I realize, it was only just a dream

The songs work so well together that she’s absolutely floored. It makes the most beautiful love song, although Chloe thinks with the two of them singing it like this, that the song sounds remarkably gay. Not that she minds.

 _Just the way you are_  
Only just a dream  
‘Cause you’re amazing  
It was only just a dream  
Just the way you are

 

The two songs continue in tandem for a bit longer and then they’re done, breathing hard as they look at the girls around them. The songs flowed so perfectly together and singing a duet with Beca has made Chloe feel a bit lightheaded. Beca only makes matters worse by giving Chloe a hug, excited that her idea worked out. All of them put their hands in and sing their note, and a horrible deep note comes from Chloe’s mouth. Everyone looks at her in surprise but Beca just remarks that she can use that in the competition, making her feel a bit less embarrassed by whatever that weird baritone note had been.

The next week or so is spent practicing even more than usual. They have to overhaul the routine and come up with a completely new one, which is no easy task. But once all the songs are chosen, it seems like they are ready to go. The day of nationals causes all of them to be a bundle of nerves, but despite them they’re all excited to share their new routine. The mash up is a brave undertaking, as it includes a total of six songs. But Chloe believes they do work really well together and they sound absolutely amazing, each of them having the opportunity to showcase their voices. After Chloe leaves the stage and the next group gets ready to perform, she sees Beca running into the audience. She’s found Jesse and she watches them as they start kissing. Three times their lips meet and Chloe can feel her stomach getting sick.

Aubrey’s standing beside her and she puts her arm around Chloe’s shoulder.

“You win some, you lose some. My offer still stands.” Chloe doesn’t think Aubrey realizes just how much she’s fallen for Beca and how upset she is seeing her kiss him.

Chloe doesn’t say anything and turns around, her blue eyes filling with tears.

“No, Chloe, don’t—god, you really like her, don’t you?” Chloe nods and bites her lip to hold back the sob that is threatening to escape her.

It’s too late now. She doesn’t know why she even bothered to entertain the notion that she would even have a chance.

“Don’t worry. I have an idea. You’re going to win her back.” Chloe can’t believe Aubrey’s suggestion. She’s actually willing to help her?

They all celebrate their win and Chloe tries her very best to stay away from Beca. When Beca tries to talk to her, she keeps it short. Beca looks taken aback by Chloe’s lack of enthusiasm, probably wondering what she did to make her so upset. Beca returns to her dorm and Aubrey talks to the girls alone, having an idea that she wants to discuss with them. Chloe stands there and listen to her speech, knowing her face is bright red as Aubrey tells them about Chloe’s hidden feelings for her fellow Bella.

“Alright girls, so the thing is, Chloe’s got it bad for Beca. For real. She’s liked her all semester, and she’s been too much a pussy to make her move. And Jesse moved in on her and she’s given up! Can you believe that?” Aubrey exclaims.

“I…” Chloe doesn’t know quite what to say.

Cynthia Rose shakes her head. “No, I can’t. Damn, girl. You’re really gonna let a girl as cool and hot as Beca go? You’re dumber than you look.”

Chloe’s a little offended by her comment.

“Wait a minute, you’re serious?” Fat Amy’s voice rings out. “You actually want to be with her? Like in a lesbian, let’s-eat-each-other-out for hours sort of way?” Chloe’s cheeks are burning but you nod.

“Aw! That’s cute!” Stacie responds with a grin. “I’ve never been with a girl. What’s it like?”

Chloe doesn’t answer because she’s never been with a girl either. Everyone looks at Cynthia Rose, who mutters “I ain’t sayin’ nothin’.”

“Okay, so my thought was that we could all show up at Beca’s dorm room and sing Jessie’s Girl to her. Well, like, we’ll do backup and Chloe will sing lead, obviously.” Aubrey’s idea is pretty cheesy, but Chloe still thinks maybe it might be good enough to work. A big gesture would show Beca how much she really does like her.

“That’s not bad. But why don’t we put it with another song, like we’ve been doing?” Stacie recommends. Everyone shouts out song suggestions.

Chloe’s face lights up. “I know exactly what song would be good.”

As cool as the idea is, she can’t believe she’s actually going through with it. Chloe and the rest of the Bellas make their way to Beca’s dorm room and Chloe knocks on the door. Beca answers it looking confused.

“Just hear us out!” Fat Amy yells from behind Chloe and Beca widens her eyes, uncertain of what is going on.

She crosses her arms and stands in the doorway, waiting for Chloe to say something. Chloe takes a deep breath and the girls start singing backup music. But it’s Aubrey who starts it off.

_Jesse is a friend  
Yeah I know he’s been a good friend of mine_

Aubrey makes a face, because obviously she and Jesse aren’t friends. Beca just stares at all of them in disbelief, recognizing the song and trying to figure out why on earth they’re singing it to her.

 _But lately something’s changed_  
It ain’t hard to define  
Jesse’s got himself a girl   
And I want to make her mine

Cynthia Rose and Stacie jump in.

_And she’s watching him with those eyes_

Chloe can feel those eyes on her right now. It’s time to debut her choice to mix up with the song. It’s Ne-Yo’s Let Me Love You, and she thinks it suits her feelings pretty well. The rest of the girls continue to sing Jessie’s Girl and she interrupts.

 _Much as you blame yourself, you can’t be blamed for the way that you feel_  
And she’s lovin’ him with that body, I just know it  
Had no example of a love that was even remotely real  
And he’s holding her in his arms late, late at night  
Oooh, baby, if you let me, I can help you out with all of that  
You know I wish that I had Jesse’s girl

Beca seems to get it now and she’s leaning against the doorframe, watching Chloe with an unreadable expression on her face. Chloe’s heart is pounding louder than ever and she’s shaking like a leaf but she keeps going.

 _Girl let me love you_  
I wish that I had Jesse’s girl  
And I will love you  
Where can I find her, a woman like that?  
Until you learn to love yourself

 

When Chloe gets the end of the chorus she stops suddenly and the girls do shortly after. They haven’t really practiced what happens afterward and it’s totally silent as Beca looks at Chloe and the Bellas look at them both.

“I’m not Jesse’s girl.” She says finally, a grin coming to her lips. “But I have to say, I’m really flattered. You did all this for me?” She asks Chloe, stepping forward and holding out a hand for her. Chloe nods and takes her hand, moving shyly ahead. “I had a feeling you were crushing on me. But I thought maybe I was just being ego-centric.”

“I, um. I’m not very good with big speeches or trying to explain my feelings, which is why I thought it was best to do it through song.” Chloe begins, feeling Beca squeeze her hand, which seems to restart her heart. “But I do really, really, like you. A lot. I guess you could say I started falling for you a long time ago, and I’ve never liked someone this much. I’ve never liked a girl before. But that doesn’t matter to me. I don’t expect anything from you, Beca. I’m just really glad I met you and that we got to spend so much time together. It’s been great being friends. I just couldn’t stand idly by and not admit to how I felt. I didn’t want to lie to you.”

Beca nods, squeezing Chloe’s hand again.

“I know you don’t expect anything from me. That’s what I like so much about you, Chloe. Jesse’s a good guy and all, but he had all these expectations. He treated me like I was his property, like he needed to protect me and fight all my battles and we weren’t even together. I guess when we won, I was happy and I needed to share that happiness with someone, and so I kissed him. But right after that, he started acting like he was my boyfriend and…” She sighs, running her thumb across the top of Chloe’s hand. “I didn’t like that. And now I’m realizing the person I should have been kissing was you.”

“Really?” Fat Amy asks before Chloe can muster a response. “Is this really happening?”

“What she said.” Chloe says quietly, gesturing to Amy.

Beca looks at Chloe and then the girls and then back to Chloe.

“Okay see, I’m going to kiss her now. I was going to ask you all to turn around but I don’t give a shit anymore.” She smirks and drops Chloe’s hand, putting her hands on the other girl’s hips.

She leans in and she brings their lips together in a kiss. Several of the girls gasp and then they start clapping. Chloe ignores them and pulls her arms around Beca’s neck, closing her eyes as she kisses back. Chloe can’t believe this is really happening, it feels just like a dream.

As the two finally pull apart, the Bellas are all grinning at them.

“So, we’re gonna go and give you two some alone time.” Stacie says suddenly, linking her arm in Lilly’s and beginning to walk down the hall.

Cynthia Rose laughs. “You guys have fun and if you need any help, you’ve got my number.” She raises her eyebrows suggestively before following the other two.

Aubrey beams at both of them, proud her work paid off.

When it’s just Chloe and Beca, Chloe realizes that she doesn’t know what’s supposed to happen next. Is she wanting her to stay over or is she supposed to go back to her room? Chloe’s question is answered when Beca pulls her into the dorm room, closing and locking the door behind them. She leans against the wooden door and looks at Chloe seductively.

“It’s no big deal, right?” She asks, peeling off her jacket and dropping it to the floor. “I mean, you’ve already seen me naked.” Her shirt comes off next and she stares at Chloe as if asking her to make a move. “Only difference is, this time you can touch me.”

That sends Chloe toward her. She presses Beca against the door, kissing her lips more fiercely than before, now that they’re not being watched. Beca kisses Chloe back, tangling her fingers in her red hair. Chloe’s fingers move to unbutton her jeans and she pulls away from Beca’s lips to ask if she’s sure this is what she wants. Beca silences Chloe with another kiss, pushing against her and moving her to the bed. As Chloe drops onto her bed, she gazes up into her eyes, remembering the first time their eyes met.

Beca pulls down her jeans and begins to work on removing Chloe’s clothes as well, until finally, the two of them are as naked as the day they sang in the shower together. Beca’s lips move to Chloe’s neck and her breath hitches in her throat at the contact.

“You’re beautiful.” She tells Chloe as she hovers above her, stroking her cheel. “I’m ridiculously happy right now.”   
  
            “Me too.” Beca’s head falls onto Chloe’s chest and she positions her ear near where Chloe’s heart is located.

Chloe’s embarrassed because she knows Beca’s hearing her heart beat, which sounds like she’s going into cardiac arrest right now.

“I can tell.” She grins, placing a kiss where her ear had been moments before.

Her hands move across Chloe’s body, her fingers gliding across the top of the older girl’s breasts. Chloe lets out a wavery breath and she smirks.

“I like this. The sounds you make. I’d like to record them and put them in one of my mixes…”

As Chloe opens her mouth to protest, Beca’s mouth closes over her nipple. Chloe’s unable to stifle a moan. Her hand slides between Chloe’s thighs, hovering over her most sensitive area. She knows she’s bound to be worked up already; after all, she’s liked her for months.

As her fingers tease Chloe’s entrance, Beca doesn’t speak anymore. Instead she reunites their mouths, kissing her with vigor as she slides inside of her. Chloe moans against her lips at the unbelievable sensation.

After she’s gotten Chloe off, Beca admits she’s slept with a girl before. Chloe beg her not to tell details for fear of extreme jealousy, focusing on returning the favor she had just given to her. Chloe is surprised by how well she does at giving oral sex, but she figures it must be her musical training that makes her so good at doing things with her mouth.

The two of them lay in her bed together, the covers pulled up around their bodies. Beca’s head is on Chloe’s chest again and the brunette moves her head up to look at Chloe.

“I didn’t expect this  _at all_.” Her voice is remarkably quieter than usual.

Chloe smiles at the comment before bringing her lips up to kiss Beca’s temple.

“I’m not so predictable after all, am I?”


End file.
